Febrmry 3}, 1877. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



130 



As I must not extend the list I would take out KirkeV, because 

 that good Plum is in u^e almost at the same time as the still 

 more useful variety Yiotoria. An excellent email collection I 

 consider the followinf;: — Early Prolific, Green Gage, Goliath, 

 Victoria, Coe's Golden Drop, and Damson. If two Piutus only 

 are wanted my choice is Rivera's Early Prolific and Victoria, 

 which are profitable varieties for plantiug in large numbers. 



In the list of Apples " Practitioser " has included both 

 Lord Suflield and Keswick Codlin. I doubt if both are required 

 in a small garden. If for pyramic's or espaliers I should choose 

 Lord Saffield ; if for standards Keswick Codlin. I make the 

 distinction, because the large fruit of the former valuable 

 Apple is apt to be blown off standard trees in exposed places. 

 I should substitute Cellini for one of the sorts named. Haw- 

 tborndon cankers in light soils, and I generally prefer Stirling 

 Castle. Besspool is named — an excellent Apple, but a lifetime 

 before arriving at a free-bearing state. The li?t given is other- 

 wise good, but a garden cannot be completely stocked with 

 Apple trees that does not include Cox's Orange Pippin. Beauty 

 of Kent for early winter and Gooseberry Apple for late spring 

 are valuable culinary sorts. 



In the list of Pears your correspondent has included Eeurr(5 

 de Banoe, but in many places that late Pear refuses to ripen ; 

 a late sort more certain, and I think more generallyusefui, I 

 consider Bergamotto Esperen. 



Tho remainder of the fraits named are, I think, well selected. 

 In criticising I have acceded to " Practitioner's " request by 

 substituting a few sorts for those mentioned in the list re- 

 ferred to, and which is worth perusal by those making a " se- 

 lection of fruit for a small garden." — A Noethebn Garpeijer. 



SQUIRRELS AS DEPREDATOES. 



Mncn as I admire the feeling which animates a " Wiltshire 

 Eectob " in his dissertations at page 108, I cannot agree with 

 him as to the harmlessnesa of hia inotege the squirrel. For 

 over forty years I have had ample opportunities for observing 

 the habits of squirrels, and know from actual observation that 

 at times they descive more than they get, and get more thaa 

 they have any light to. Some twenty years ago I could not 

 account for the disappearance of the Strawberries from an early 

 plantation, but one morning I saw numbers of "Elondins" 

 (I should think two or three generations) hop across from a 

 quarter of Currant trees, each seize a Strawberry, and away to 

 the woods went they, but if suddenly disturbed would takerolugo 

 on an old Pear tree which was near. When they considered 

 all danger was over they would renew tho attack. I was crte'. 

 enough to send them a few mesBages in the form of shot, and 

 before seven o'clock the next morning I had destroyed upwards 

 of a dozen , and I felt no compunction for the deed. After that 

 slaughter my Strawbtrries were unmolested. 



I have also had numbers of Apricots, Peaches, Cherries, 

 Nectarines, and Filberts taken by sqnirrels— Apricots more 

 especially; and, from that part of the wall where "that 

 gwdening boy" could not reach were he so disposed. I have 

 frequently seen them nibbling away at a half-rips Nectarino on 

 the top of a lofty Pino tree, and more frequently picked up a 

 half-destroyed fruit under tho Pino or Cedar trees, v/bicbescr 

 wore most convenient for them. I have also seen them run 

 along the paropet or coping of a wail, and when they arrived at 

 a tree hearing fruit suitable to their palate drop down, take 

 one, and carry it off. I have (much as I dislike steel traps) 

 been cruel enough to bait several traps, place them on the 

 coping, and after securing several of the "graceful" thieves, 

 and scaring others, the fruit was sufa from the marauders. 



My organ of destructivcness is not very largely developed, 

 but when I have an eneojy I feel bound to fight till I conquer, 

 and I consider that when a gardener has produced a crop of 

 fruit that ha is equally bound to prtserve it. — J. Gadd. 



Many years ago I was a mischievous " gardea"~boy," and 

 once stole a Peach from a young and favouiito tree than bear- 

 ing its first crop in a vinery. The owner was naturally 

 greatly chagrined when acquainted with the fact by his 

 gardener-^not the fact of my being the culprit, for I kept that 

 knowledge to my=elf, but that anyone should have been guilty 

 of stealing from that particular tree. 



The owner conferred with his experienced and sensible steward , 

 the result was that all the men and boys in tho garden were 

 what is known as " cirpeted," the carpet in that instance 

 being one of Nature's weaviug — the "mossy lawn," beneath 

 the ehado of an ancestral tree. Tho " old man with silvery 



locks " then addressed his assemblage somewhat as follows: — 

 I am desired to speak on a matter which to you may appear 



trifling, but which Lord regards as serious. His lordship, 



as you know, is not a hard master, and the value of a hundred 

 Peaches are nothing to him, but that one Peach — the first of 

 its kind which had ripened in his garden — was being antici- 

 pated with sijeoial interest, and someone stole it. No one 

 amongst you is su3peotod as being dishonest, and not one of 

 you is permitted to deny having committed what was doubtless 

 merely a thoughtless act. I am only desired to uige on ono 

 and all never to take on the sly what you would be ashamed to 

 take openly, for his lordship wants to feel that everyone in 

 his employ is tiustworthy and honourable. The one who took 

 tho Peach may, it he chooses, admit to the gardener having 

 done so, the gardener having undertaken not to mention the 

 confession to anyone, and in fact is prohibited from doing so 

 to his lordship and myself. 



That was the gist of the " old man's " address. It left me 

 very uncomfortable, and after one sleepless night I confessed 

 my fault to the gardener, and I cannot look back to any oir- 

 cumstauce with greater pleasure than to the taking advantage 

 of the " conscience clause," and certainly I have never since 

 — in the seneo of stealing — taken fruit which did not belong 

 to me. 



Shortly after t'nat episode several Peaches and Nectarines 

 were missed from tho south wall of the garden, and other 

 fruits were nibbled and left on the trees. Many hundreds of 

 fruits were " stolen," and I was told by the gardener that had 

 I not so willingly confessed my former fault I should have 

 been suspected of the present and greater delinquency. There 

 was a reward of having done right — a good name following the 

 acknowledgment of a bad deed. 



Determiuitig it possible to find out the rogue, I decided to 

 piSs the night in the garden ensconced amongst tho Currant 

 bushes. It was not until daybreak that I obtained " a clue" 

 — a most convincing one. First one squirrel came, then 

 another, until at least a dozen of the " agile creatuioi " were 

 " trying " the fruit, and carrying away those which separated 

 easily from the spurs. Tho gardener was told of the circum- 

 stance, hut was not convinced until he saw the same " little 

 game " repeated the next morning. There was nothing for it 

 but to destroy the robbers, which were mercifully shot, and not 

 cruelly trapped. Many times since then I have known squirrels 

 to have committed groat depredations on the Peach walls, 

 having repeatedly seen them carrying ciJ the fruit. 



I have read with great pleasure " Wiltsuire Rector's " 

 humane letters, and I trust he will never cease wibldiog his 

 pen against heedless pain being inflicted on any dumb animals ; 

 but I cannot allow " that gardening boy " btiag made the 

 scapegoat for tho pilferings of " those graceful creatures" the 

 squirrels. — An Old Gardkninq Boy. 



Amount of Water in Trees. — Farmers and gardeners have 

 often observed, and the fact is rtferred to by Liudley, that 

 duiieg cold weather the branches of certain trees are Bome- 

 times so much bebt down as to obstruct passage below tho 

 tree, tut that with the advfnt of mild weather they return to 

 their former positions. In investigating these phenomena 

 Professor Gelezuow observed that they depend not only upon 

 temperature but also upon the humidity of the air, and he 

 undertook, therefore, a series of researches to ascertain the 

 amount of water contained in different parts of the branches 

 under various atmospheric conditions. Tho first part of these 

 researches (not yet published) proved (1) that the amount of 

 water increases in each branch from its base to its summit; 

 (2) that the bark of the Larch throughout tho year contains 

 more water than the wood ; and (li) that in Conifer;e the upper 

 part — I.e., the part above the pith of a horizontal branch, con- 

 tains always more water than the lower part, whilst in other 

 trees, as, for inutance, the Birch, the conditions are reversed ; 

 altogether, that Conifersj and Dicotyledons teem to possess 

 opposite properties as regards the distribution of water in the 

 tree. Further researchts, published now in full [Bull. Ac. de 

 St. Pctersb., vol. xsii.. No. 3), introduced new elements into 

 the inquiry — namely, the varjing amount of water in tho bark 

 and the wood. It appears from these rtsearchesthat humidity 

 of the wood and dryness of bark have a constant relation ; 

 that in certain trees (Fir and Maple) the wood remains 

 throughout tho year drier than the bark, while in others 

 (Birch and Aspen) this is the case only during a part of the 

 year, the conditions being rtvcreod at other times, The re- 



